The ISO registrar or the auditor from an approved certification body who conducts the surveillance audits will examine the organization’s key QMS (Quality Management System) processes. The required elements of an audit include a management review, a review of preventive and corrective actions and processes, a review of the company’s internal auditing processes, and a review of the implementation of recommendations following a company’s internal audits.
The auditor’s goal is to determine whether a company’s management system actually works in its day-to-day operations. The auditor will also focus on minor nonconformities, areas of concern identified in the certification audit or previous surveillance audits. An organization should take corrective action to fix all non-conformances.
Typically, minor non-conformances are weaknesses in the QMS system that could potentially lead to a massive QMS failure. Major non-conformances indicate that there’s a significant failure in the quality management system that could keep a company from achieving its objectives or protecting its customers.
Each surveillance audit helps an organization get ready for its recertification audit, which takes place at the end of each three-year certification cycle.
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